strange happenings and strange helpers
by Corona 1
Summary: DrWho/DBZ Xover, sort of. something is happening on Earth- people are mysteriously dying due to a new threat. and someone from another planet far away and long since gone comes to help them. summary isnt that good. neither is the title. RnR, please!
1. Chapter 1

Strange helpers

Hi there everyone! I've been a fan of Dragon ball z and Doctor who for absolutely ages! I've had this typed up for quite a while, although it's not finished yet. I keep going back to it.

It's sort of a cross over; the Time Lord/Lady in this is my own character. She appears in my Transformers/Doctor who fic, Remembrance, as well, but in a different form.

Hope you all enjoy it! Please be nice when you review it! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not, under any circumstances, own Dragon ball z, the TARDIS or anything else from the shows. I only own Dagon, the Professor and the plot. If any of you wish to use any of my characters, please let me know so that I can arrange for them to be yours. Thanks!

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Something was happening on the Earth. What it was, no one knew. Not even Piccolo, the Namekian. It had all started when people started dying. Always during the night. What was going on? Everyone was on their guard, no one wanting to sleep for fear that they were next. Even the Z Fighters were on their guard, and it was beginning to take its toll on all of them.

Gohan tossed and turned in his sleep. He could feel things moving in the distance, but when ever he, his father and his friends had gone searching for the menace, they found nothing. Just people sleeping, and in the morning, people dead. He shot awake when he sensed something. Something close by.

A strange wind whipped up in the forest near to Gohan's home. It rustled the leaves and created small waves on the river. It was followed by an unearthly whirring as something materialised. It looked like a modern day phone box. A light on top of it flashed along with the object. Soon the whirring died to a hum as the object landed with a soft thump on the earth below, and then to nothing. The door opened and a figure strode confidently out of it, stopping only to lock the door. Then, it left.

Gohan got out of bed and walked to the window. Dawn was beginning to break, and already cries of mourning were breaking the silence. He hung his head, wishing that he knew something he could do. It was no use trying to fight an unknown, unseen enemy. He knew that. His father had told him that. Of course, getting Vegeta to listen was a different story. He smiled slightly at the thought of Vegeta acting like a spoilt child being told that he couldn't play. He sighed and turned to the orange gi that was hanging on his wardrobe. The 12 year old had taken to wearing a similar gi as his father's. He dressed quietly and made his way down the stares. He was surprised to see Chi-Chi up at this time of the morning.

"Mom?" Chi-Chi jumped when she heard her name. She turned to face her son.

"Oh, Gohan. It's you. What are you doing up at this time?" Gohan saw how she quickly turned her face away, but she wasn't fast enough. He could see that she had been crying.

"I couldn't sleep. Is everything ok, mom?" he asked, reaching out to lay his hand on his mother's shoulder. She nodded. At that moment, Goku came in from outside.

"Hey, son. Let me guess. Couldn't sleep?" he asked, smiling. Gohan knew his father well enough to know that the smile was a fake. Gohan nodded. All this stress was beginning to take its toll on even his father. He remembered what had woken him up.

"You didn't by any chance feel the same thing I did, did you dad?" he asked.

"Depends on what you felt," Goku smiled. Gohan smiled back.

"I felt something strange, something new. It was like something was opening and then shutting again."

"Yeah, I felt that, too. It's not like what's happening here at the moment. Perhaps we should go check it out?" Goku looked at his wife, who had finally turned to face them. She was too tired to argue, so she just nodded. Father and son looked at each other and left the house.

By the time they found anything peculiar, it was 10 in the morning. By this time, they had met up with Krillin and Piccolo. They were sitting (or in Piccolo's case, standing) next to the river not too far away from the Son house.

"So, what do you think it was, Goku?" Krillin asked. Goku lay back on the grass, looking up at the sky.

"I'm not sure, Krillin. I'm really not sure. But I do think it's somehow connected with all these strange deaths at the moment." Krillin lay back with him, looking from him to the sky. He could tell that Goku was thinking because of the serious expression on his face. Gohan sat nearer the lake, skimming the stones on the surface of the water. If there wasn't anything going on, he would have thought it was the perfect day to relax. Without realising, he threw each rock harder and harder, making the splashes higher. He threw the last rock the hardest, completely missing the lake and making it ricochet of another rock on the far side, which crumbled in the process, right back at him. He dodged out of the way and just managed to shout a warning to his father and best friend, who had sat up to see what the noise was, before it hit them. They dodged as the stone skimmed over head. They looked back at the 12 year old. Gohan put a hand behind his head nervously and smiled the famous Son smile.

"Oops, sorry." The stone only coming to a stop when it hit something. There was a loud clang of metal as it impacted with something. The four looked at each other and then back to where the sound came from.

"Clang? Did something just say 'Clang'? " Goku asked. Standing up cautiously, they made their way over to the spot where it hit. Gohan parted the bush and peered over the top of it. He was unsure of what he'd seen.

"Huh?"

"What is it, son?" Goku asked, peering over his shoulder. Everyone's guard was up.

"It…it's a phone box! But what's it doing out here!?" he exclaimed.

"A phone box? Lemme see!" Krillin said, almost pushing Goku out of the way. Gohan was right. It was a phone box. They looked at each other, Gohan finally coming to a decision. Without a word, he started towards it. He saw the stone embedded in the side.

'Oops, I must have thrown it harder than I thought. I hope no one sees it.' Goku and Krillin called for him to come back from it.

"Just a sec, I'm gonna get this stone out first…Aargh!" The moment he reached his hand out towards the box, a bolt of energy struck him square in the chest, sending him flying backwards. The others dodged out of the way as he flew past them, striking the ground and laying still.

"Gohan!!" Goku shouted, running over to him. He lifted his son in his arms. Gohan shivered slightly and woke up.

"Are you ok, Gohan?" Goku asked, setting him on his feet. Krillin had also ran over.

"Yeah, I'm fine, dad," he replied, leaning heavily on his father. Goku hooked his arm around Gohan's shoulders and steadied him.

"I think someone doesn't want us getting in." Krillin said. Gohan smiled weakly.

A young woman walked along the river towards the four fighters. She was clothed in a black, hip-length leather jacket, a brown tank-top covering a cream shirt, blue jeans and brown trainers. Her shoulder length blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her teal- green eyes shone in the sunlight. There was some depth to her eyes, even if they were bright. She heard the commotion and quickened her pace, a serious expression crossing her features. She broke into a run when she heard the sound like energy being discharged at a high voltage.

'Oh, please no, please no, please no!' she thought. By the time she got to where she was heading, she saw two men kneeling near a boy, one of them obviously his father, as he had almost the same, messy, raven black hair and charcoal eyes. The other was a bald human in an orange gi and purple under shirt; in fact the three humans were all wearing more or less the same thing.

"Oh man, is he alright?!" she called as she came closer. Her presence had obviously not gone unknown as the two men looked at her. The spiky haired man shook his head slightly as she ran over.

"He didn't, you know, go near the box, did he?" she asked, fearing the answer. They nodded, shocked by her question. Did she know something they didn't? She pulled out a strange looking probe and activated it, a strange blue light emitting from it along with a high pitched whine. She noticed the man stiffen defensively, and she smiled to him soothingly.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt him. I just want to see how bad he is," she explained. She swept the probe over the twelve year old's body and gave a sigh of relief.

"Oh good, it's not too bad," she said, deactivating the probe and pocketing it again. "He's just stunned. Give it two or three hours of rest and he'll back to normal." The adults looked at each other in shock. Goku was the one to break the silence.

"Who are you?" he asked. The woman thought about the answer for a moment.

"I'm…The Professor."

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So, what do you think? Please let me know if you enjoyed it! I have most of the other chapters ready, which I will post regularly; or at least try to. Please be nice when you review:-)


	2. Chapter 2

And here's chapter 2! Enjoy!

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The newcomer had come with the men back to a house near the edge of the river.

"Nice place you got here. Pretty planet, too." They looked at each other. They had all sensed that there was something not quite right about her, something that she wasn't telling them. Piccolo had tried to look into her mind when he saw her, but found it extremely difficult just to gain entrance. As soon as they entered the house, a black haired woman came towards them. She had presumed that she was the boy's mother.

"Oh, my baby!! What's happened to him!! Goku!!" The Professor saw the black haired man flinch as he laid his son down on the couch; he was obviously the one called Goku.

"Erm, well, you see…" he stammered. The Professor found this very interesting. She could tell that this man was strong, and yet here he was, almost shaking at his wife's rage. Well, she presumed that she was his wife. The Professor came to his rescue.

"Funny thing really. You see your son was trying to get something out of my ship, and unfortunately she doesn't like intruders and she zapped him. But don't worry; he'll be right as rain in a couple of hours." They gazed open mouthed at the speed of her explanation. Chi-Chi broke the shocked silence.

"And who are you?! What do you have to do with all of this?!" she shouted.

"I'm…a friend. A traveller, I suppose. Yes, a traveller- that's me, going from place to place, a bit of an explorer, really. Travelling to strange new worlds, not that this is a strange or new world. Been here countless times. Love it here, I do!" She seemed to be going of a tangent.

"What?" Gohan had finally come round again. They looked at him as he lay on the couch.

"Well, hello there. That was a fast recovery. Not that I'm really that surprised." Gohan smiled slightly. Then he became serious.

"Who are you? Where are you from?" he asked. He could tell that she wasn't a danger, well, not to them or the people of the planet.

"I'm The Professor. Now let me guess, names, names, names, let's see. You're Gohan; you're Goku; Krillin and Chi-Chi. Correct?" she had to hold back a laugh at the expressions of shock and confusion that crossed each of their faces as she said their names to the correct person.

"How…how did you know that?" Goku asked, suddenly feeling suspicious. "Just who are you, where are you from and how did you get here? And what do you want?"

"Ah, long story. Let's just say I know enough. There's not really a lot that I don't know. And, you're not exactly a very well kept secret on some planets. Especially New Namek." She laughed. She looked around, seeing that they were all pretty serious. She rolled her eyes and sighed in defeat.

"Fine, you'd best sit down, it's gonna be a long story." They all sat down. She sat across from them, resting on the coffee table.

"Ok, here it goes. I'm from a planet a really long way from here…" she paused when there was a knock on the door. She looked questioningly at those sat there. It turned out to be all the others. She looked around at them, and then at the room.

"Hmm, possibly best if I continued this outside. It's a big enough place, but somehow I don't think it can house such a large audience." She got up and strode confidently past them. Yamcha and Tien looked at the Sons questioningly. Goku shrugged his shoulders and followed her out.

The Professor strode past a smaller man, taller than Krillin, with black hair that stood up like fire. She noticed that he stood with an air of confidence and pride, an angry look spread across his face. He stood in front of her, unwilling to move. She shrugged and stepped around him. He stepped in front of her.

"Look, as much as I would love to continue this, I have a story to tell, and you're really starting to bug me…Vegeta." She smiled at the look of shock on his face and made her way past him, sitting on a rock.

"Ok, this is everyone, I take it? Let's see, so I already know you six, so that leaves Tien, Yamcha and Trunks, right? Good! Ok, where was I? Oh yeah, that was it.

"I come from a planet a long way from here, and I mean a really long way. I don't know if you'll have heard of it, anyway, it's not there anymore, but that's a different story. The planet I'm from is called Gallifrey. I'm The Professor. How I got here is simple. Goku, Gohan, and Krillin. You remember that 'phone box'? That is, in fact, my ship. It just looks like a phone box to mix in with the surroundings, but the cloaking device is broken and it's sort of stuck that way. Anyway, as to why I'm here, I usually come here. I love this planet. It happens to be my favourite in this galaxy alone. Love the humans, love 'em. Completely, totally, love 'em. Also, the TARDIS, that is, my ship, sort of pulled me along here. Picked up a distress signal, so she decided to come and check it out. Loves to interfere. No idea where she gets it from. So, I suppose, I'm here to offer my assistance. That is, if you don't mind. That everything?" There was complete silence. "Good! Now, what seems to be the problem?" Her audience looked around at each other. Gohan was the one to speak.

"Well Professor, it's like this. Something's happening to the people here at night. They're all dying, and it's not something we can stop. We don't know what's happening…"

"This is ridiculous. Are we really going to entrust a complete stranger with this information?" Vegeta interrupted. The Professor looked up at him. Yet he still continued.

"We don't even know who she is really and what she wants. You really are stupid, Kakkarot, if you think you can trust her."

"Erm, excuse me, Vegeta, I believe I was just listening to Gohan,"

"I don't care," he smirked. Before anyone knew what was happening, The Professor was up and standing over him.

"You might not care, but I do!! Gohan was telling me something very important, and you are butting in!! Now, believe me, my friend, when I say that I'm beginning to get VERY annoyed at your sheer ignorance!! And that is something you DO NOT want!!" she shouted. "Now, SIT down, SHUT up, and DON'T SAY ANOTHER WORD!!" To everyone's amazement, Vegeta did just that. Gohan was sure he could see him shake a little.

'Wow, I've never seen Vegeta so intimidated by someone before,' he thought to himself. The Professor seemed to calm down instantly and she turned back to Gohan.

"Sorry about that. You were saying that people die during the night. Care to elaborate on that?" she sat down across from him again.

"Erm, yeah. From what I've heard, they're dying from what seem to be natural causes, but it's affecting whole communities, many of whom are healthy. They're just…dying. Like it's some widespread illness." He looked up at The Professor, who now wore a very serious expression. The sight of her concentrated stare sent chills through his body. 'I'm glad she's on our side. She doesn't look like much, but she certainly is scary.'

"It gets worse than that, Prof." The Professor looked up at the person who spoke. It was Yamcha.

"How do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, everyone's getting really paranoid about it. No one wants to rest or do anything. It's like it's making everyone really aggressive." The Professor rested her chin on her folded hands. She was clearly thinking it over. Her eyes went again to Gohan.

"Where is this happening?" she asked. Where her voice had been cheery and breezy before, it was now stern and serious. It sent a slight tremor down Gohan's spine.

"Mainly Ginger Town. I can show you if you like?" he asked. He swore down that he would never keep up with their new helper, one minute she was solemn, and now she smiling, all cheery again. It made him feel slightly dizzy.

"Great! I was just waiting for one of you to offer!" she said, her voice bouncing again. Goku came up to his son.

"We'll get things sorted out here. You take The Professor around to see what's what." He bent down and whispered in his ear. "And don't let her out of your sight."

"Yes sir." Goku stood up.

"Alright, see you later!" he smiled. Gohan stepped up The Professor.

"Erm, Professor? This might seem like a real weird question but, how are you with flying?"

It didn't take Gohan long to get to Ginger Town. The Professor seemed to enjoy the trip more than anything. Everything was quiet when they landed. The Professor had that serious expression on her face again. The further they went into the town, the heavier the silence became. The Professor broke the silence.

"What's that smell?" she asked. Gohan looked at her curiously. She had a strange expression on her face, which was obviously a cross between intrigue and disgust. He sniffed the air tentatively.

"I can't smell anything," he said.

"You won't. You'll be accustomed to it." She shoved her hands in her jean pockets, looking around. Gohan thought it was just his eyes, but he was sure that there was an aura of authority around her. He couldn't get over how blonde her hair was and how green her eyes were. They reminded him of something, but he couldn't think what. He looked at his hands. Then it struck him. 'Of course, Super Saiyan. That's what they remind me of.' He shot his head up when he heard her starting to cough. Not just a slight tickle of the throat, a cough as if there airways were irritated. Her hands plunged into her jacket pocket and she pulled out two face masks.

"Put this on!" she ordered between coughs. Gohan just looked at it. "Now!!" He hurriedly took it from her and pulled it on over his mouth and nose. The Professor took a deep breath.

"Ah, that's better." Gohan realised he was actually breathing easier than before. It was like breathing new air!

"Where did you get these from?" he asked.

"Tardyons. Really know their stuff, they do. Each breath you take activates an air cleansing device. Only a tiny little thing, but heck is it good!" Behind her face mask, Gohan could see that she was smiling. "Now, on to business."

Gohan was beginning to trust this helper more and more. The more he talked to her, the more he realised that she had been through so much more than he could imagine. Even though there were the three times he had lost his father, he realised that he was lucky. He had been wished back to them. His problems didn't seem as big compared to hers.

"So, you mean that you're all alone? With no home? And all because of a war."

"Not just any war. A Time War. The last Great Time War. It was over creation itself. I lost everything. Neither side won, we all lost. As far as I know, I'm at least the last female of my race. There are others, I'm almost certain of it."

"What are, or were, they like, the Gallifreyans?" Gohan asked.

"Oh, I suppose you could say arrogant, stuck in their ways. Pompous, arrogant stick-in-the-muds, that's how we were known. Up until we were needed."

"Needed?"

"Well, Time Lords had this whole thing about putting the universe to rights, quite literally. We would travel space and time. The greatest of explorers. We would always seem to turn up where there was trouble. You never got one without the other. Never. Almost like a vicious cycle, really. We would always go where there was trouble, and trouble would always follow us, and round and round and round again."

"Wow. You must have the ultimate in busy lifestyles." The Professor laughed. It was one that made Gohan laugh with her.

"Yeah, I suppose you could say that!" She suddenly stopped short. "Hello, what's this then?" She bounded up the town hall steps, pulling something out of her coat pocket as she did. Gohan followed her up. She was holding two test tubes of some form of powder.

"Well, would you look at this? This shouldn't be here! Oh no, not at all, it shouldn't be here." She seemed to be talking to herself. A frown covered her face, one of recognition, and yet confusion.

"What is it, Professor?" Gohan asked.

"I dunno, I just like saying it shouldn't be here." She laughed slightly. She pressed a bung into the top of both of the tubes. "Gohan, I need to get to the nearest laboratory. Pronto." He nodded; waiting for her to pocket the test tubes and took hold of her arm, taking off with her.

They were very soon near Gohan's house. She could see Piccolo sat outside, meditating. He called to him telepathically.

"_Hi, Piccolo. If anyone asks, I've taken The Professor to Capsule Corps. She needs to use the lab."_

"_Very well, Gohan. Take care, Vegeta's not in the best of moods."_

"_When is he ever?" _Gohan heard Piccolo laugh as he flew over.

They landed at the Capsule Corp complex shortly after.

"If anyone has a lab around here, it's Bulma and her father. They'll be able to help you out. But we've kinda got to be on our guard. Piccolo said that Vegeta's in a really bad mood."

"He seems like the type to be constantly moody," she joked. Gohan knocked on the door. Dr Briefs answered.

"Hello, Gohan. This is a surprise."

"Hi, Doctor Briefs. I was wondering if my friend and I could use the Lab for a while," he asked tentatively. He knew fine well that any doctor or professor got very attached to their places of work.

"That all depends on who your friend is." He eyes The Professor suspiciously.

"Oh, this is…"

"Professor Rae Columbus, at your service. Just wondering if you would be so kind as to lend us your lab, because I really need to take a look at something and, my laboratory's sort of, how shall we say, been misplaced."

"What do you mean, been misplaced?" he asked.

"Ah, well, that's really a long story, so mind if we come in?"

"Oh, of course, sorry." She winked at Gohan, who just shook his head at her. It seemed as if Dr Briefs had fallen for her story that her lab had been demolished by the council. He seemed to share a dislike for the council himself. He allowed them all the time they needed in his lab.

"Where did that come from, anyway?" he asked her after she started working.

"What?"

"The story?"

"Oh that. Every science whiz has a mutual dislike of anyone who really doesn't want to acknowledge their work, and I just kind of played on that."

After ten minutes of questions and answers, everything went quiet. That is, until an unexpected guest entered.

"Woman!! The anti-gravity chamber is not working again!" Vegeta shouted. He stopped short when he saw that it wasn't Bulma in the lab but the woman who had embarrassed him earlier.

"You! What are you doing in here?!" The Professor looked up lazily from her work.

"I happen to be looking at something. If you're looking for Bulma, you're going to have to try upstairs." She went back to work, looking through the microscope at the powder she had picked up. Before she knew it, her back was slammed against the wall, Vegeta holding her by the collar of her coat.

"How dare you talk to me like that?! Do you know who I am?!" he snarled.

"Yes, it just so happens that I do. You are Vegeta, Prince of Saiyans, husband of Bulma, father of Trunks. See? I do pay attention. And in answer to your earlier question, I do dare, because I am trying to do something that might just save this planet! Now, if you'd be so kind, let me go." She pushed him back from her, walking back to the microscope. Vegeta grabbed her arm and thrust her against the wall again. She sighed.

"Look, I really don't have time for you playing tantrum child, alright? I have serious work to do, and you're in my way."

"Why you little…? I'll teach you some respect!!" At this moment, Gohan entered the laboratory again with a couple of drinks. Seeing Vegeta raise his fist, he instantly went Super Saiyan and grabbed Vegeta's in an arm lock. He had noticed that he'd dropped the drinks in his haste.

"What do you think you're doing, Vegeta?!" he said, pushing him of The Professor and returning to normal. "She's trying to work!"

"And so am I! Move out of the way, brat!" he shoved the twelve-year old to one side and lunged at the Time Lady again. It was Bulma who stopped him this time.

"Vegeta!!" she shouted. He stopped short.

"We'll continue this later," he snarled. He turned on his heel and walked out. The Professor shook her head, brushed her down and went back to work.

"Are you alright, Professor?" Gohan asked.

"Me? Yeah. Not the first time I've been pinned up against a wall by someone who clearly doesn't like me. And I doubt very much it will be the last." She turned to Gohan.

"Thanks for that. I appreciate it. I really do. And I have to say, fancy transformation!" she smiled and went back to work.

"Well, Professor?" there was silence. Her face began to light up a little with realisation.

"I knew it!! I knew it!!" she exclaimed.

"What Professor?!"

"Dagon spores!!"

"Huh?"

"I'll tell you later. Come on, we've got to get back!" Before Gohan could stop her, she ran up the stairs. 'Wow, either she's really excited about something or she really is fast,' he thought. He went after her.

By the time Gohan and The Professor reached the Son house, Chi-Chi had sorted a place out for the Professor to stay. They all sat and patiently listened to what they had seen, including the spores. It now came for the question that everyone was waiting.

"Professor, what exactly are Dagon spores?" Gohan asked. She pulled out the phial from her leather jacket. They noticed a light pink coloured powder residing in the bottom of it.

"These are Dagon spores. There are a million of them in there. Tiny little things they are, but they're extremely deadly. Inhale one of them and you may as well sign your final testament."

"Just one of them can kill? But how? Where are they from? What plant are they from?" Gohan asked.

"Aha!!" she exclaimed, making them jump slightly. "I was just waiting for one of you to ask that! They're not from a plant. Or an animal. Well, then again I suppose they have to be, or they wouldn't be here at all. Anyway, these little things were created artificially. And with one purpose- to wipe out populations in a widespread area. The ultimate in biochemical warfare, if you like. As to where they're from, I'm not too sure to be perfectly honest. They could be from anywhere and everywhere."

"So how do they kill exactly?" Yamcha asked.

"Oh, that's simple. You see, even though they're artificially created, they have living nuclei, making them, in themselves, alive. They're sort of like a concentrated powdered poison." She sat down, pocketing the phial again. "Once inhaled, they're programmed to attach themselves to the lining of the lungs. However, that doesn't kill the unfortunate party, oh no. They lay dormant. They wait, until the body is at its most vulnerable. When is that? Anyone?" she looked around. Gohan looked up, realising.

"When they're asleep," he replied.

"Bingo," she said softly. "When people sleep, especially in deep sleep, the immune system lessens. The spores wait for this to happen, constantly checking, then BAM!" Her shout made everyone there jump. "They infiltrate the bloodstream, carried around to all the major organs in the body. They start with the brain, making sure that the victim is still unconscious. Then they go back to the lungs and knock them off line, and then finally, the heart. And then that's it! All over! They leave the body with the last breath and die themselves. And what does it look like they've died of?"

"Natural causes," Goku replied.

"Exactly!" After that, she went quiet, letting them talk amongst themselves. Trunks was the one to speak this time.

"Professor, how did they get here?" he asked. The professor thought about it for a moment.

"That's a very good question. Let's see now, they can stay dormant for at least a year until they're needed, but they need to be kept in a concentrated surrounding, preferably a container…that's it!"

"What's it?" Chi-Chi asked.

"Of course, of course, of course! They must have been planted here! There has to be a cartridge somewhere nearby, somewhere no one would look. But where? Now that is a question. They must have been here for at least a year, because that's how long they remain dormant. They won't activate until that time has passed."

"A year? It's been a year since we fought Cell. Could it have been the Androids who planted it here?" Gohan asked. The Professor thought about it for a moment.

"I suppose they could have. I wouldn't say it was unlikely, but I wouldn't say it was likely, either. Did they have a base anywhere nearby? Like a lab or something?"

"Well, there is Dr Gero's old lab. It's a bit of a mess, but you might be able to find something." Krillin replied.

"Take me there."

Meanwhile, the spores were still gliding through the atmosphere, to small to be detected. Then something happened. They all began to shoot down together. Millions of them headed towards the mortuary where the bodies of those they had killed remained. They came in through the holes in the building, landing on the very first person they had killed. They began to take shape around it, seeping through the pores and the gathering in all the organs. Using the body, they became one being, who woke to the world with a bloodthirsty gaze. He was hungry. Very hungry.

The fighters and the Professor had searched the whole lab for any clues as to what might be going on.

"Nothing, nada, Zippo. There's nothing here that even remotely says what was going on," the Professor said as she searched through all of the files and equipment.

"Maybe he destroyed them so that we wouldn't find it?" Gohan suggested. The Professor froze and turned to him.

"Gohan, you might just be right." Her face cracked into a huge grin. "That's why I love having you around!" Gohan smiled back. The Professor moved her eyes passed him. She was sure she saw something. And there it was again!

"Hello, what's this?" she ran towards it, carefully lifting things out of the way. A small metal canister. She activated her sonic probe and moved it over the canister. She smiled triumphantly.

"Aha!! I knew it was here somewhere!" she turned to the others who were still searching and shouted as loud as she could. "OVER HERE!"

By now, the commandeered body was making its way through the mortuary. The secretary turned and, when she saw him, she screamed. She was quickly muffled as he grabbed her mouth. Almost instantly, all her energy was drained, and she was left infected by a virus. A couple of minutes later, she was dead. He laughed maniacally.

"I live! I am Dagon, and I am hungry!!"

The Professor turned the canister in her hands, inspecting it. Gohan peered over her shoulder. She shook her head.

"What's the matter, Professor?" he asked.

"It's not the right one. I made a mistake."

"Huh? How'd you mean? How have you made a mistake?" he asked.

"Because there's nothing in it. And from the looks of it, it's been empty for less than a year."

"So, there was something in it?" She nodded.

"Yep. But what ever it was, it'll be long gone now."

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Tell me what you think. It's a long chapter, I know, but I just couldn't stop writing. No time seemed like a good time to stop! Lol!


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, just seems to keep going on! Lol!

Hope everyone is enjoying this!

Here's chapter 3!

Disclaimer: I forgot to do one last chapter. I own nothing but my characters.

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The Professor and her new friends had returned home. The Professor had decided to take the canister along with her to do some tests.

"Do you want me to take you back over to Bulma's, Professor?" Gohan asked.

"Hmm? Oh no, that won't be necessary. Thank you. I'll take it back to my ship and look at it." As soon as she mentioned her ship, Gohan's interest peaked.

"Can I come with you?" he asked. The Professor looked at him. He felt a little uneasy under her gaze and slowly began to feel like he was shrinking. 'Its no wonder she's survived as long as she has. She's definitely not one to cross.' All of a sudden, the Professor broke into a smile.

"Of course! That is, as long as it's ok with your parents. Best to ask first?" she looked questioningly at the Saiyan and Human, who, sensing that she wouldn't back down in an argument, agreed.

"Fantastic! C'mon, then Gohan! I'll let you take a look inside my ship." She winked at him playfully and took off. 'Man, she's fast! There's certainly a lot more to this professor than meets the eye,' Trunks thought, along with many of the others.

Back in the cities, Dagon was beginning to make his presence felt. Everywhere he went, people dropped dead, completely drained of their energy and infected with a disease. People were beginning to panic. What if this strange event turned out to be similar to Cell? What if they were next? The only thing people knew was that this new threat was killing and infecting anyone and everyone who got in his way.

Gohan and the Professor arrived at the ship. Gohan was tentative at first, remembering clearly what had happened when he gotten too close.

"Don't worry, Gohan. She won't hurt you this time. You're with me." As Gohan looked, he could see that the outline was more solid than it had been before. Obviously the shield had been dropped. With a jangle of keys, the door was open and the Professor disappeared inside. Gohan looked at the exterior.

'There's no way two people can fit in there', he thought to himself. Almost as if reading his mind, the Professor poked her head out of the door.

"Well, are you coming in?" she asked. She disappeared again. Gohan followed her inside, hesitant. To his complete surprise, the inside of the structure was enormous and…were those stairs? The Professor turned to him, expectant. She gave him a knowing smile as she saw the look of sheer surprise on his face.

"I don't believe this. I don't believe I'm seeing this. It's not possible, is it? I mean, you hear about buildings being bigger than they seem on the outside, but this is just ridiculous!!" The Professor just laughed; obviously she had had to deal with this sort of thing before. Gohan instinctively went outside and looked around before coming back in.

"But…how? How is it possible?"

"I thought you would never ask. You see, we use something we affectionately call Time Lord Science. We make things bigger on the inside."

"But…how?"

"Well, think of it this way. Let's see now, well, how can something as huge, say, a sky scraper possibly fit inside such a tiny little thing like your TV? Because it's more or less an illusion. Kinda the same thing here, only using things a little bigger and a little more solid, if you get my drift." Gohan thought for a while before shrugging his shoulders. The Professor sighed. "it exists in another dimension outside of this one. The door is almost like a portal and the moment you step through it, you step into another dimension. The exterior is simply a disguise."

"I suppose that makes sense."

"Of course it does, I said it!" the Professor laughed. "Go and take a look around if you like. Mind, I won't be too long, I'm just trying to find out where those spores have gone." She waved her hand around, gesturing him to look anywhere he liked, but Gohan knew better than to touch anything that didn't belong to him.

After what seemed like two hours, Gohan came back from the clothing racks to find the Professor working at the control panel. It was a huge mushroom-shaped panel with a long tube running up from the centre. A strange light green valve was resting at the bottom; it reminded him of ventilation valves at hospitals. He didn't want to disturb her; the look of concentration on her face was enough to put him off that idea. However, she seemed to know he was there. She turned around with a smile, startling him.

"So, what d'you think?" she asked.

"Well, it certainly is big enough," Gohan replied sheepishly. The Professor chuckled.

"Yep, she is that. Love her to bits, though. The TARDIS has been with me for so long, I can't even remember the first time I got her. Gorgeous thing she is."

"TARDIS? What does that mean, Professor?" Gohan asked, pulling her out of her reverie.

"Hm? Oh, Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. TARDIS. It was my husband's goddaughter's idea to call it that."

"I didn't know you were married!" Gohan exclaimed. The Professor sank to the ground, resting against the control centre.

"I was, but that was a long time ago. You see, every adult Time Lord and Time Lady had to fight in the Great Time War. Many of us didn't come back. In fact no one came back, apart from me."

"What happened, Professor?" Gohan asked, intrigued. He sat down next to her.

"Well, we were fighting a race known as the Daleks over Creation itself. They wanted it so that there were no other races, just Daleks, and of course, we could never allow that. Call me old fashioned, but I think the Universe was created to hold more than just one race, get my drift? Anyway, during the fight, many Time Lords were killed. We managed to bring a few of the Daleks down with us, but it wasn't enough. We had to do something. My husband had been given the task of ending the war once and for all, but it came with a price. It was meant as a last resort, because it would not only kill our enemy, but it would kill us as well. Then that way, there would be at least a small guarantee that the Universe would be left alone."

"So it got too overwhelming?"

"You could say that. He had no choice. He had to destroy everything. I know that sounds bad, especially after everything you've had to deal with, but it really was the only way to save the Universe and everything in it. Therefore, he released this enormous power known as the Eye of Harmony. I was in my TARDIS at the time it happened, just on my way back to Gallifrey from scouting. All I remember was the feeling like electric all around me, destroying most of the outer casing. Luckily, I had my shield on at the time. And then everything went black. I had been informed earlier that it was time and I had to say my goodbyes. But I never had the chance. When I woke up, I had crashed into Gallifrey. It was nothing more than a barren wasteland. It still is. I just remember being all alone. My husband, my son, my friends, everyone had gone. And I had to go, too."

"So ever since, you've been travelling around, helping people and planets so that they don't suffer the same fate as you?" Gohan asked. "Wow, and I thought we were the best protectors. Shows how much we're really not." The Professor laughed, wiping the unfallen tears from her eyes. A beeping caught her attention.

"Enough of that for now. Time to get back to work." She stood up and started typing. Something that looked like a receipt rolled out of a slot and into her waiting hands. Quickly reading through it, she started shutting the computers down again and slipped the sheet into her jean pockets.

"What is it, Professor?" Gohan asked, seeing the look of worry and anxiousness on her face.

"Trouble. C'mon, let's get back!" She bounded out of the ship, Gohan close behind. Quickly locking the door again and making sure that the shield was back on, they ran all the way back.

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Dagon had, by this time, worked his way through the town and was starting on the next, his insatiable appetite still raving. People were running in a panic after hearing about their neighbours. Running in a blind panic. Dagon merely caught many of them off guard, his maniacal laughter sending shivers through everyone who heard him. It wasn't long before the news crews were there.

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Back at the Son household, the Professor was explaining her findings.

"This is serious. Very serious. Extremely serious. According to the findings, the spores have moved on. I found a small amount of dead spores coating the inside of the container. They've been inactive for at least a couple of days. However, from the looks of it, they didn't just come to the end of their sell-by-date; they had their energy drained from them!"

"By what, Professor?" Goku asked.

"The other spores. It's like…cannibalism! They're hungering for more energy, getting greedy, if you like. In addition, all the energy from this container has been drained. They're looking for something else, they've moved on to something else. Something bigger, stronger, something they can move around in. It's like they've evolved. They know what they want, and they're gonna get it!" At that moment, the news report came on.

"_Something is happening down at Satan City. People are mysteriously dying, but unlike they have been before. Now it's during the day!"_ The Professor almost dived in front of the TV screen.

"Hey, you shouldn't get that close; you'll hurt your eyes." Chi-Chi warned.

"I'm not looking at the TV, well, I am, but I'm not looking at the reporter. There's something there." She pulled her probe out of her pocket and pointed it at the screen. Suddenly, everything went black.

"What did you do?!" Chi-Chi thundered.

"I didn't do anything! I haven't even switched it on!" the sound started coming through the TV. People were screaming, and in the background, there was laughter. The Professor felt a shiver go down her spine. Suddenly, the picture came back, and the reporter lay dead on the floor, a strange purple rash covering his body, the camera on its side. But there was nothing else. Everyone stared in shocked silence. The Professor activated the probe, shining it at the screen. Almost as if it was a remote to a tape, everything began rewinding.

"Don't you just love residual images?" she said sarcastically. She stopped at the part she wanted, maximizing a certain part.

"There," Gohan pointed out.

"Yep, I see it. And that's what's happening." They turned to her. "That explains it. The spores have evolved, and they need more energy. Lots more if they're going to stay alive. And they've taken over a body. Someone who's already dead. Someone who has the highest count of spores. Their first victim!" They looked back at the frozen image of the happenings just before everything went black. The slight pink-purple coloured man-sized humanoid that was frozen there; could he really be the first victim of the spores? The Professor cut through the silence.

"We have to stop this before it gets completely out of hand."

"Gets completely out of hand? It already is out of hand!" Yamcha exclaimed.

"Not quite. It only gets out of hand when I can't think of what to do and I get stuck for ideas. Then you start worrying." She smiled slightly. "Trust me. We have to find him…and stop him."

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Half of the population of Satan City had evacuated, too terrified for their lives to stay. Any source of energy was being absorbed constantly.

"This is just what I need! But I need more! I want more!" Dagon searched through the deserted town. There was nothing that hadn't been touched. He growled, kicking objects out of his way in his rage. He smirked when they crashed into the supports of the buildings, toppling them.

"This could get fun," he sneered. Suddenly, he felt something. "What was that?" he turned around. A smile slowly crept over his face. What ever it was, it had a high amount of energy, just waiting to be drained. "Jackpot!" Using the stolen energy, Dagon took off into the air. "Good thing I chose a body that had been used to fight in martial arts. I could have a fight on my hands."

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Trunks had been flying over the city for almost half an hour. What was once densely populated was now more like a ghost town- there was no life anywhere. "I thought this would be easy. The Professor said to find him and stop him, but she failed to say how." Suddenly, movement caught his eyes.

"Huh? What was that?" he landed at the spot he saw the movement. He sensed Gohan and The Professor were not too far away. 'If it is him, they might not get here in time.' He saw it again, this time a little closer. Turning quickly, he found the person they had been looking for stood behind him. He shot a chi blast into the air as a signal, just like they had all agreed. Only, it never reached high enough for them to see it. Dagon shot after it, catching it in his hand and absorbing it. Stunned, Trunks stepped backwards as the monster came down to land.

"My, my, we do have a lot of energy. That much already is making me stronger. But there is so much more in you, isn't there? So much more I have yet to feed on!" he lunged at Trunks, only to be blasted back. He landed with a loud thump on the floor. Looking up, Trunks saw the source of the attack.

"Father! Don't shoot any energy at him! He absorbs it!" Vegeta took no notice of his son.

"Shut up! Who says I'm going to shoot at him?" Vegeta transformed into a Super Saiyan before lunging at Dagon. He just laughed and dodged his attacks, getting faster and faster. Before Vegeta knew what was happening, Dagon struck a blow in his gut, sending him flying backwards. He transformed back into his normal state.

"What…what happened?" he asked weakly. He struggled to find the energy to stand up. Trunks noticed Dagon lunge at his father and dived in the way, pushing Vegeta out of the way.

"Why you!? What did you think you were doing?!" Vegeta yelled, but Trunks didn't answer. Turning around, Vegeta noticed that Dagon had a hold of Trunks by the neck. He could sense his son's energy being drained from his body.

"No!" he yelled, charging an attack. He threw it at the monster, but he absorbed it. Dagon just laughed at his attempt. Suddenly, Dagon let out a pain filled cry and dropped Trunks' limp body to the ground. Clutching at his head, he began to break down, finally dispersing into the atmosphere, leaving nothing but a skeleton behind.

"Gohan, get Trunks and Vegeta! But make sure that you don't touch Trunks' bare skin!" Looking past the point where Dagon had stood, Vegeta saw the Professor, her probe pointed at the place he had stood before dispersing and a deadly look on her face. He felt someone take hold of his arm, and he willingly let himself be led. Looking down, he saw Gohan holding his arm and his son. He felt the burning rage and despair at the monster for attacking his son, but he didn't have the energy to do anything. The others soon joined them. The Professor checked Trunks, and found the same rash on his shoulder and throat as all Dagon's other victims.

"We have to get him back. And fast." Goku stepped forward.

"I can get us all back the fastest."

"I just need him and myself back at your home. It's closer to my ship." He nodded, taking hold of her arm, with her holding Trunks. Putting his index and middle fingers to his head, he concentrated on his wife's energy. They disappeared from view. The others took off after him, Gohan and Piccolo helping Vegeta. They were surprised when he didn't resist or argue.

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Meanwhile, the spores from Dagon's body were beginning to come back together again. Even though the body had been left behind, the spores remembered the basic structure and remoulded themselves. With a scream, Dagon came back!

"What happened to me!?" he cried. Calming a little, he thought about what he had seen before. "That girl! It was her fault! It must have been all her fault! But who is she? That ringing in my head! It was unbearable! She managed to break me down! She'll pay for this!"

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Back at the Son household, Goku had just arrived with Trunks and the Professor.

"Get him inside, fast!" she ordered. She ran to her ship. Chi-Chi and Bulma were surprised when Goku burst through the door, carrying Trunks.

"Goku? What's going on?" Chi-chi asked, before noticing Trunks. Bulma also noticed him.

"Oh no! Trunks! What happened to him, Goku!?" she asked, trying to get to him. At that moment, the Professor came running in, holding a vial of some sort of liquid and a small leather pouch.

"Don't touch him! Set him down, Goku." He did as she said and laid him on the couch. The Professor knelt over him and, wearing plastic gloves, removed his jacket. The purple rash was starting to spread down his arms and across his chest.

"We have to work fast, or I won't be able to bring him back." Opening the leather pouch, she took out, to Goku's horror, a needle. Inserting the point into the vial, she measured how much of the solution she took out. Nodding at the amount, she inserted the needle into Trunks arm.

"What is that, Professor?" Bulma asked.

"Something that I've concocted and tested. Made it up last night. They're dead spores. However, I've cultivated them so that they kill the active spores off. Here goes." Pressed down on the plunger, sending the transparent pink liquid into his arm.

"Now, all we can do is wait."

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And that was chapter three! What will happen to Trunks? Will he survive? I'm not telling, you're just going to have to wait and see! (evil grin)

I hope you're enjoying it. I haven't received any reviews as of yet. C'mon guys, tell me what you think. I know I haven't exactly given much time, but I'd really like to hear from you.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm happy. I'm more than happy, I'm ecstatic. Someone likes my story! :) Yay!

Thank you xBlack.Rose.Sirenx!

Right, recap. Trunks has been infected with the same virus as all of Dagon's victims. The Professor has created a cure that, hopefully, will help him.

Disclaimer: DBZ belongs to Akira; the DW devices (TARDIS, sonic screwdriver, etc) belong to the BBC. The Professor and Dagon belong to me. On with the show!

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It had been two days since Trunks had fallen at the hands of Dagon, and already he was making an improvement. The Professor checked the rash on his upper torso.

"That's really gone down. At this rate, Trunks'll be up and about again in no time."

"Really Professor? That's great news!" Gohan said.

"Yep. Now, there's just one more patient I need to see to. Where did Vegeta go?"

"He's probably in the anti-gravity chamber, training as always. If I were you, I wouldn't disturb him." The Professor nodded and went outside. To her surprise, she found Vegeta sat outside the house. Cautiously, remembering her last 'meeting' alone with him, she approached him. He sensed her coming.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, startling her. He turned to her. The Professor could see how serious he was, but there was something else there. Distress? Confusion?

"Because, I had to do something. I couldn't let Dagon kill your son." Vegeta sighed and looked away. She sat down next to him, studying him.

"How are you feeling? I take it your energy has come back?" Vegeta nodded. "Thought so."

"What happened to me out there?" he suddenly asked. "You seem to know everything; tell me what happened."

"I wouldn't say I know everything. Just because I'm a Time Lady, it doesn't make me some sort of Oracle. However, I think I do know what happened to you. Did you transform? Or power up, or what ever you want to call it?" she looked at him questioningly. His silence was all the answer she needed. She nodded, brushing the top of her teeth with her tongue in thought. "Aha, that'll explain it. You remember I told you that the spores absorbed energy? That's what happened. He must have linked onto your aura and taken your energy from there." He nodded, looking down slightly. Anyone else wouldn't have noticed, however the Professor did. She smiled a little.

"By the way, Trunks is doing well. Give him a couple of days and he'll be as right as rain." After that, she went inside, leaving Vegeta with his thoughts. He looked after her, wondering how, after he had attacked her, she was brave enough to sit next to him and talk to him as if nothing had happened. Was she just as forgiving as Goku? No, he didn't feel so. She had been through so much that it would be hard to be as naive as Goku.

The Professor sat watching over Trunks, lost in thought. The only person she would talk to was Gohan, and even that wasn't as frequently as before. Gohan was beginning to get worried about his friend. He found her sat outside late the next morning. Cautiously he walked up to her.

"Professor? Is everything alright?" he asked. She didn't seem to notice his question.

"Oh, Gohan. I just wish there was other ways around it. I hate killing anyone, even if they're a danger. But, not everyone is as idealistic as me." She looked to him, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears and smiled softly. "I'm old now, so old. I used to have so much mercy. Now, people get one chance and one chance alone. After that, if I don't like what they're doing, I end it, there and then. No arguments. Only problem is so many people die while I try to help. I suppose that's what comes with travelling the universe 900 years. More, actually. Seeing what I've seen, doing what I've had to do. It destroys you if you can't handle it. That's what surprises me about you Gohan. You've seen so much and done so much for your age, it's a miracle it hasn't warped your mind, driven you insane."

"To tell you the truth, it surprises me too. There have been times that I've wished that people would just stop fighting each other. I suppose that's my human side." The Professor nodded knowingly. "We have to wait, though, don't we?" His sudden question startled her.

"Wait? For what?"

"Before we can do anything about Dagon. We're one short. We can't fight him without Trunks."

"I'm hoping you won't need to fight him at all."

"Huh?" Gohan turned to his friend, confused by her statement.

"Last night, I filled more vials with the mixture I injected into Trunks' arm. If only a small amount worked on the rash, imagine what three vials full of the stuff could do? The only problem is actually getting it inside Dagon. Ironic, really, using the stuff he's made of to defeat him. However, it might be the only way." Gohan nodded in understanding.

"Have you thought of a way?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. We have to get the vials into him intact. If they come into contact with open air, they'll disperse. Then, we simply crack them open."

"Yeah? And how do we do that?"

"Well, think about it. We don't want to do it by hand; because he'll drain you dry. And I know that you're chi blasts are really powerful…"

"Yeah, but he can absorb them too remember?"

"Not if it's too powerful. Or there's more than one."

"Yeah…ah! Now I get it! We all fire at him!"

"That's it! By Jove, I think you've got it!" She burst out laughing, Gohan not far behind her. "C'mon, let's tell the others. The sooner we get this plan in motion, the better."

That night, the Professor was finding it extremely difficult to sleep. She couldn't describe it, but she knew that she was feeling lost and alone. But why? She thought about what might happen during their fight with Dagon. What if it all went wrong? What if she lost everyone the same way she lost her family? She couldn't afford to lose anymore people to evil beings. She got up and realised her cheeks were damp. 'I've been crying?' she pondered. It wasn't usual that she let herself cry, but thinking about the memories she had of Gallifrey always brought tears to her eyes. With a sigh, she left her ship and walked a little way into the forest. The night air on Earth always helped clear her thoughts, the freshness, the liveliness. Even in the dead of night like this, it was rarely quiet. The planet was alive, that's what she loved about it. There was a rustle behind her, making her stop dead in her tracks. She looked around, brow furrowed. She was sure she'd just caught the glimpse of a pink-purple figure. She shrugged and carried on a little further.

"Out for a midnight stroll?" a cold, callous voice asked from behind her. She turned to find Dagon standing not too far away behind her.

"Dagon!" she gasped. Slowly, she stepped backwards, putting space between herself and him, all the while slowly reaching for her instrument. Unfortunately, he noticed her and shot a beam that just skimmed her coat.

"There'll be none of that. Now, if I were you, I'd run as fast as I can away from me. It makes things a little more...interesting." He cackled as she turned and ran as fast as she could further into the forest. As she wasn't human, she could run twice as fast. However, it wasn't enough. After a few seconds, he gave chase, slowly catching up.

"I've got you now! I'll make you pay for what you did to me!" he cackled. Unfortunately, he didn't notice the Professor abruptly stop and dive out of the way. When he did, it was too late, and crashed into a large tree, the force trapping him within the stiff wood. He saw the Professor walk around until she was in front of him. Her expression was stern. Her green eyes burned with a cold, hard fire. Her very aura gave off a feeling that she was not going to give him another chance.

"I'm going to say this once and once alone. You go, leave these people and all others alone. Just leave. You have the power to. Just go, disintegrate, disperse, whatever. But if you ever return, I will be here, as will my friends, to stop you. Is that understood?" She turned and walked away. He struggled against his new prison, letting out a roar as he splintered the now rotting trunk, causing the tree to collapse, and falling towards the Professor. She looked up in time to see the tree crashing down towards her. She leapt out of the way, but she wasn't fast enough, and the tree landed with an earth shaking thud on her legs, knocking her down. She struggled and fought against the painful weight against her legs. She heard a malevolent chuckle behind her. Turning her head as far as it would go, she saw Dagon looming over her.

"Now, I'm going to tell you something. You should never have gotten yourself involved with this. But, because you have, I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you." He cackled, charging a purple coloured chi blast in his hand.

"Say goodnight, girlie." He was about to throw it at her when that ringing started in his head again. The ball disappeared as he clutched his head in pain. He cried out and collapsed to his knees. He looked at the Professor, who was pointing her probe at him, bathing him in the blue light. He'd had enough.

"I'll kill you for this!! Mark my words!" With that, he once again dispersed into the atmosphere. The Professor collapsed to the ground, exhausted. She couldn't deny that she had been terrified.

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She didn't know how long it had been since her second encounter with the threat. Clearly it had been long enough because she'd dozed. She woke up to the sound of someone calling her voice.

"Gohan! I'm over here, my boy!" she called out after recognising the voice. She saw him running towards her, his father not far behind.

"Professor, what happened?" Goku asked as he and Gohan threw the tree trunk off her with relative ease.

"Dagon. He was here." She replied as she sat up on her knees. "He nearly killed me. It's a good job I never leave without my screwdriver, or I would be dead by now."

"What happened to him? Where'd he go?" Gohan asked.

"Same as before. Seems that sonic devices still affect him. It must be to do with the spores, they can't handle it perhaps? But one thing's definitely for sure, when he reappears, he's not going to be very happy with me, no sir, not one little bit."

"In that case, perhaps it'd be best if you stayed in the house tomorrow. I don't want to see you get hurt," Gohan said, half pleading with her. He hadn't known her for very long, but it was long enough to know that she wouldn't take no for an answer. They had begun heading back to the house, Goku on one side, Gohan on the other, almost expecting the monster to attack again at moment.

"What, and miss all the action? I know you mean well, Gohan, but honestly, asking me not to fight? Terrible! Couldn't not fight! Of course, it wouldn't be anywhere near the standard that you're used to, but I can give just as good as I get. Besides, what else will you do if my invention doesn't work completely on him?"

"Well, we'd just..." Gohan stopped, thinking over the possibilities. Chi blasts wouldn't work, he simply absorbed them. And they couldn't fight him in close combat, they'd get infected.

"The correct answer is nothing, Gohan. I'm sorry, but even you with your extraordinary powers wouldn't be able to stop him. You saw what happened to Vegeta, right? The same would happen to you, no matter how weak he gets. The weaker he gets, the more dangerous he will be. That's why I have to go with you. I can at least provide a distraction." Neither of the Saiyans liked it, but they knew that arguing with the Professor was ludicrous. She wasn't going to back down anytime soon. Reluctantly, they nodded, even though they knew that the Professor would be in serious danger if she did. She didn't seem to care about the dangers, she knew the dangers. All she wanted to do was stop this menace before it got totally out of hand. Gohan watched his friend as she headed into the spare room when they came back to the house.

"You're a remarkable person, Professor. You really are."

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That's that chapter! Sorry I took so long. Like I'd said, I wasn't sure if anyone was reading it. Thank you xBlack.Rose.Sirenx. You saved a story. ;)


	5. Chapter 5

Hey there! It's been a long time! Lol! I've been a tad bit stuck on this, as is usually the case when it comes to fics like this. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it! It shouldn't be too long before it's finished.

………………………………………………- change in place

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Disclaimer: Only the Professor belongs to me. The TARDIS, Sonic Screwdriver, etc, and everyone/ thing out of DBZ belong to their respective groups.

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This was it. This was the day they had been waiting for, and dreading. There was a very surreal silence in the Son household, almost too silent. No laughter, no sounds of the Son's normal life. Inside, the Professor sat at the table, pulling the three vials out of her insanely large pockets. The stony, stern expression that crossed her face was enough to make Gohan shiver and thank Kami that she was on their side. He himself was torn. His Saiyan side was more than ready to fight this new challenge, to push his powers to the extreme and to see just how far he could go. His Human side was much more in the opposite. He had seen what could happen by simply standing near the enemy, let alone being touched by him. He shivered again. Even when he had faced off against Cell, he had not been this terrified.

"Don't be scared, my boy. You're not facing him alone. I won't allow it." Started out of his thoughts, he turned to her. _How did she know? _The Professor smiled to herself, but stayed quiet. Gohan sat beside her, watching her check and mark each vial.

"It's far too quiet, don't you think?" she asked, her voice soft. Gohan nodded, too nervous to say anything. His friend put the vial she was inspecting down and turned to him.

"Gohan, what's the matter? Aside from the obvious." He shrugged.

"I don't know, Professor. I just…" he paused.

"Go on, my boy. You can tell me." Gohan sighed. Maybe it was just his thoughts running wild.

"It's just…I can't shake the feeling that something's going to go wrong today. It involves you, Professor. And I know that I've only known you a little while, little more than a week really, but, I don't want to lose you. You've been a great friend, and…I guess… I'm scared." The Professor instantly threw her arms around the teenager.

"Gohan, nothing unseen is going to happen to me. And if it does, then it does. I've lived long enough. Besides, I have a couple of tricks of my own." Gohan looked to her. She winked. "Now, let's get everything sorted, shall we?" He nodded, cheering up a little. She had that effect; the worst moments seemed to simply vanish under the power of her smile. He followed her out to her ship, passing the now rotten tree trunk that had held her captive only last night, and arriving at the strange little telephone box she called home.

……………………………………………………………….

Elsewhere, the threat that was Dagon had recovered. The first time this had happened, he was angry. Now, he was seething. He wanted revenge on the girl that had done this to him. And he would get it, oh, he would get it. And he would enjoy what ever slow, painful punishment he could bestow upon her. He had faced her last night, realising that she was no more powerful than these weakling earthlings. But he was now sure that she would not be alone. Yes, he had it planned. He would break her away from her protectors, he would punish her, he would control the spores that made up his body to slowly poison her, torture her, whatever. He would make her pay. He rammed his fist into a small mountain, watching with sadistic glee as it crumbled from the impact. Yes, he would make her pay.

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"Right, so everyone now knows what they are doing? No running off to fight him yourself. We want this to be quick and easy, not that it ever is, and we don't want any repeats of last time. Right, Vegeta?" she stared pointedly at the Saiyan Prince, who merely grunted and nodded. She broke into a smile. "Splendid!" Yamcha looked a little confused.

"Er, hey Prof?"

"Yamcha?"

"More out of curiosity than anything, but what will you be doing? I mean, we all know how, in theory, we're going to get rid of Dagon, but… you haven't said anything about what you're going to do." Expectant eyes turned to her. The bright smile faded, a stern, almost grim look replacing it.

"I didn't tell you because none of you are going to like it. But, alright, seeing as you asked. Dagon wants me, right? Because, well, I've kind of got him more than a little mad at me." Gohan, understanding immediately, turned to her, eyes wide with terror.

"No. No no no no no NO! Professor, you can't be serious!"

"What, son? What is she going to do?" Goku asked, his usually happy expression changing into a sternly worried one.

"She's going to use herself as bait!" They all turned at once.

"WHAT?!" She didn't flinch under the shocked, terrified and aghast looks.

"How else do you expect to get him to the appointed area? Raising your power levels would make yourselves too much of a target. And I can't allow that. In fact, no, I WON'T allow that."

"Well, I WON'T allow you to use yourself as a target for that…that… monster!" Gohan argued, standing.

"You have no say!" She jumped up, staring him down. Finally, she sighed. "Gohan, listen to me. Everything I said earlier was true. 'Nothing unseen is going to happen to me. And if it does, then it does. I've lived long enough. Besides, I have a couple of tricks of my own.' Remember?"

"What, and getting yourself killed is one of them?" Tears swam in his eyes. He couldn't believe she was doing this. After everything that had happened, she still wanted to face him? Just who did she think she was?

"No, Gohan. Getting myself killed is not one of them, because I'm not going to get myself killed. But someone has to distract him long enough so that the others can throw those vials into him. At the same time. If he knows what is going to happen, he'll kill us all at once. Or he'll disappear. Either way, this is probably the only chance we'll get. This way, he'll be too focused on me to realise what's going to happen. Well, that's the theory anyway." Gohan didn't like it. None of them did. Even Vegeta was looking at her as if she had suggested something completely outlandish. Why would anyone be willing to put themselves into such great danger for them? For this planet? Possibly this whole Universe? The idea confounded him. And she wasn't going to back down.

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It was time. Gohan's anxiety sky rocketed. Something was going to go wrong, very wrong. He wasn't usually paranoid or pessimistic, but this time he simply couldn't shake it. And every time he looked at his friend the feeling increased. _Please, Professor, be safe._ Goku turned to her.

"How are you going to get there? Want a lift?" he asked, grinning. The Professor smiled back, though it lacked her usual cheeriness.

"No thank you, Goku. I'll go by TARDIS. It means that I can get everything sorted while I'm in there."

"I'm coming with you!" For once, the Professor seemed shocked. It was more of a command than a request, something which she wasn't used to hearing from the boy.

"Very well, very well. Come along then. See you all there." She watched as the remaining fighters took to the skies. Chi Chi ran over.

"You will be safe, won't you? You know you don't have to do this, baby." Gohan flushed.

"Mom, I'm a teenager now. Besides, someone has to watch the Professor." The Professor laughed, ruffling his hair.

"He'll be fine, Chi. I promise."

"And how do I know you'll keep your promise?"

"Because, you have the word of a Time Lord. Well, alright, Time LADY, if you want to be pedantic. But it's all the same. It's a big thing, having the word of a Time Lord/Lady." The worried mother seemed to take it, nodding.

"Come along then, Gohan." Smiling at Chi Chi, she trotted off, Gohan falling into step alongside her.

…………………………………………………………………………..

The TARDIS's engines rasped as they rose and fell, keeping time like the rhythm of a drum. The two occupants sat in silent contemplation. She would never admit it, but the Professor was afraid. If she was honest, she wasn't sure how it was going to turn out today. But she had the same feeling, deep down in the very pit of her stomach, as Gohan. Something was going to happen today. Something was going to go drastically wrong.

TBC

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That took some going! Ok, I know that nothing exciting happened in this chapter, and I know its short, but I wanted to leave it there to save from sounding like I'm running on. Next chapter- the fight. Is everything going to go as planned? Will everyone survive? What will happen to the Professor? Stay tuned to find out.


	6. Chapter 6

Ok guys this is it. The fight. I'll apologise now if it's not that good.

Disclaimer: only the Professor belongs to me.

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Gohan sat watching the Professor as she worked at the controls. He didn't want to avert his gaze from her for fear that she wouldn't be there when he looked back. He knew that it was silly to think that, but he couldn't help it. While he didn't know loss quite as much as she did, he knew enough. And he didn't want to lose someone else. The rasping, grinding sounds of the engine were almost relaxing, but he was so uptight that it made very little difference.

"Gohan, I'm not going to disappear, you know." Her voice broke the heavy silence between them.

"I know." He sighed. "It's just, how do I know that what you're going to do won't get you killed?" The Professor turned to her young friend.

"You don't. And neither do I, if I'm honest. Some things you just can't predict. And this is one of them." Gohan did something she really wasn't prepared for. He leaped on her, throwing his arms around her and very nearly knocking her over.

"Please Professor! Don't do it! We'll find another way!" She encased him in a comforting embrace, tears starting to burn her eyes.

"My dear, dear Gohan," She pushed him back a little, lowering herself to her knees, bringing herself to his level. "Do not fear, my boy. We both know that there is no other way," she said, softly. "It's me Dagon wants, and it's me he'll get. If that is the way it must be, then that is the way it must be. All things have an end."

"But why now? Why can't one of us lure him here? We can protect ourselves better…"

"No, you can't. That's just it. You, me, your father, it doesn't matter who we are or how powerful we become, Dagon is simply too good at what he does. Once the spores are destroyed, Dagon will be no more. Besides, I've lived for long enough." Gohan couldn't help the tears from falling. She was right, he knew she was right, and he was powerless to stop her. But it still hurt. The concept of losing his friend was too great for him. He hung his head, only for the Professor to lift it up again. "Gohan, even if we must say goodbye now, it is not forever. We Time Lords have a knack of popping up here and there." She winked. Despite himself, he smiled. There was no stopping her, but there was always the possibility that he would see her again.

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Gohan stepped out of the ship as it finished materialising. The others weren't there yet. The Professor exited after him.

"It won't be long. He's over there." He looked to where she was pointing. It was some distance away, but sure enough, there was Dagon, only a tiny dot on the horizon. He turned to the Professor.

"I don't like this. I don't like this idea. Please can we find another way? I don't want you to get hurt." The Time Lady smiled softly.

"I know, Gohan. But we've already been through this. He's after me because I annoyed him. Twice. I hurt the most sensitive thing. I hurt his pride. His ego. So I can understand it, in a sense. Besides, if I distract him, it gives you a chance to stop him for good. Ok?" The teenager nodded, sighing in defeat. She knelt in front of him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Don't worry about me, my boy. I can take of myself. You just concentrate on stopping him before he gets the chance to hurt any other innocent people."

"And you keep yourself safe, Professor." she looked up as Goku and the others landed next to them. She nodded.

"I will." She became serious as she stood. "Now here's what I want YOU to do. Get out of sight and wait until I give you a signal. You'll know it when you hear, or see, it. And remember; keep your energy levels low. He can sense you, remember?" They nodded. "Besides, he'll probably be too busy with me to actually pay enough attention to his surroundings." She reached into her pockets, handing a vial to Goku and Piccolo.

"No matter what happens, stay out of sight and stay away until I give the signal. Even if, Disciples of Light forbid, he is killing me, stay away. I'll somehow get the sign to you. Understand?" She cocked her eyebrow when none answered. The stern shine of her eyes was enough to make them change their minds about arguing with her. They nodded, leaving. Once she was sure they were safely hidden, she put her plan into motion. Reaching into her other pocket, she pulled out a pair of thick leather gloves, slipping them on over her hands. Then she took out her probe, pointing it upwards. She selected the frequency she wanted, and then activated it.

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Dagon stood upon the cliff top, too incensed to realise that a plot against his life was being put into action. He had to find her! She wasn't where she was last night; at least he didn't think she was. He clenched a gloved hand in anger, doing the same with the other, naked one. He had taken to wearing only one glove, hoping that he would be able to prolong what he had planned. He gripped his head as a sharp pain shot through it, followed by the very familiar sensation of each individual spore vibrating, threatening to fall to pieces. It was her and her blasted sonic device! Crying out in rage, ignoring his instinct to get away from the source, he shot towards her.

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The Professor had to admit it: she was scared. No, she was terrified. She was offering herself up on a proverbial silver platter to a monster who had sworn to kill her. _'Not that he's the first'_ she thought. What scared her most was the fact that she had no idea what was going to happen, and she had very little control over it. The appearance of something moving at great speed towards her brought her out of her thoughts. She dove to the side and rolling to her feet as Dagon seemingly appeared out of nowhere and made a grab for her.

"Got your attention, then?" she joked, forcing confidence into her voice and body language. He growled, approaching her slowly.

"I'm going to make you pay for what you did to me!" He lunged at her, missing her by a hair's breadth as she once again spun out of reach.

"What did you expect? That I was just going to stand back and let you continue your killing spree?! I think NOT!!" He roared, lunging at her. Once again, she dived out of the way. Only this time, he had anticipated the move, grabbing her covered arm in a vice-like grip. He cackled menacingly as she struggled in his grip, grappling with his fingers with her gloved hand. He began dragging her towards him.

"And now, you pay."

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Gohan watched in horror as his friend was captured by the maniac. He wanted to help! He HAD to help!

"Easy son, I know. Not long now." Even though his father tried to inject calmness into his voice, Gohan noticed the quivering undertones. His father was going through the same turmoil as he was. He felt the same shock, the same fear, the same rage as he did. A sound caught his attention. A whistle. That was it!

"NOW!"

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Dagon was taken by surprise as seven fighters appeared from nowhere. So surprised was he that his grip on the Professor's arm lessened. With a tug, she was free, running to the side. She threw off her coat, the sleeve of which had started to rot. She hissed as a tingling sensation shot through her wrist. A small patch of skin had made contact with his naked hand. Pulling out a syringe and her own vial, she expertly inserted the needle through the bung in the top, taking out a small sample. This, she injected into her wrist. The effect was instant. She was happy that she had changed her long-sleeved blouse with a short sleeved one, meaning she didn't need to throw that off as well. She pushed the vial into her trouser pocket, placing the syringe back inside its wallet and placed it in her back pocket. That done, she moved into Dagon's view.

They were standing off, the fighters itching to solve the problem, but knowing that they couldn't.

"I warned you, Dagon! I told you that you would be stopped! But you didn't listen!" Dagon growled, then started laughing as his body began to disperse from view. They stood, shocked at his sudden disappearance.

"What? Where'd he go!?" Yamcha cried. The Professor turned, throwing herself to the ground just in time as a blast shot towards her, striking a cactus opposite her, which proceeded to rot to nothing.

"And I told you I'd get you back for what you did!" he appeared out of nowhere, striking her with his gloved hand. She was sent flying to the side, striking a cliff wall hard, winding her. She slumped, dazed. As the warriors watched in horror, Dagon began approaching her. He stopped, gasping as he felt something penetrate his side. Grunting, he looked down to see the end of what looked like a test tube imbedded in the skin.

"What?" Before he could attempt to pull it out, another struck him, this time in his back. He turned, scowling, to the group behind him.

"Don't you touch her!" He looked to the teenager, smirking. The power from that young boy was incredible! _'Ah, so much power from one so young. I'll start with him first.' _

"Or what?"

"Or you'll have us to deal with!" This one appeared to be the boy's father, though he found it rather strange that the boy had more power than he did. He chuckled darkly.

"Oh? And what do you propose to do?"

"THIS!" They powered up as one, readying their blasts. He grinned, looking them over. The two who had addressed him and two others appeared to have transformed, hair golden and eyes teal. He laughed, latching on to their auras, absorbing the energy from them. Dagon grinned in sadistic glee as they began dropping. The humans first, followed by Piccolo and Trunks.

"Well, well, well! And here was me thinking that you were going to stop me!" He cackled, turning to the last three. They were becoming very weak. With a victorious cry, he lunged at Gohan, who couldn't do anything to stop him. Only, he stopped in mid air. Clutching his head, he glared at the woman as she stood again, coming out of her daze, her device directed at him. She switched it off. She had provided the distraction as she said she would, and it was just long enough for the three strongest Saiyans to build up enough energy for a final attempt. Roaring, he charged at the Time Lady.

"Guys, do it now!" she cried, spinning out of the way, diving here and dodging there. They powered up again.

"We have to do it together!" Goku shouted. He and Gohan began gathering energy for a Kamehameha wave as Vegeta readied his own Gallic Gun. They fired as one, each of the attacks finding their mark as Dagon reached for the Time Lady. He cried out, sailing over her and crashing into the cliff wall and then to the ground. Growling, he staggered back to his feet. And laughed.

"What was that supposed to be? Do you ever learn?" They stood in horror as their nemesis approached them, their stacks seemingly having done nothing to faze him. All but the Professor, who simply smiled knowingly. The sound of muffled creaking and cracking reached their ears. He flew at them once again, freezing and collapsing to his knees, hands grasping his side in agony. Dust seemed to be flying from him.

"W-what have you done to me!?!" he screeched.

"It's working! Ready another! Just one more and it will all be over!" She turned to the Saiyans, noticing in shock that they were struggling to keep their forms. One by one, they collapsed, starting with Vegeta, then Goku and finally Gohan.

"P-Professor?" he gasped. She stared in terror as her friend lost consciousness. They needed that last vial to crack! Now what was she going to do? She couldn't use her device for the fact that that meant having to get up close to him! Dagon limped towards her, grimacing in pain, but with a nasty gleam in his blood red eyes.

"You're mine now." She stepped backwards. Now she was scared.

He was almost upon her. Her back hit something solid. Trapped and alone, the Professor had never felt such terror. She wasn't used to things being so far out of her control as they were at the moment. She always had a back up plan in case something like this happened. She couldn't think; her mind a jumble of thoughts. She would never know if she was truly the last of her kind! She'd never know if she truly had no family! She'd never know the answers to the questions she needed to ask! She braced herself as he approached, hands reaching out, the naked one grasping for her. This was it, she was going to die. Suddenly, Dagon cried out in pain. She looked up, spotting a very weak Vegeta lying on the floor, his hand outstretched. She smiled as he once again lost consciousness. Dagon screamed once again as he finally began breaking down, multitudes of dead spores streaming off him. But it still wasn't enough! Yes, he was dying, weakening, breaking up, but it just wasn't enough! Stirring caught her attention. She laughed a little in surprise. The stolen energies of the fighters were coming back to them.

"Well, I didn't expect that to happen," she mused. She pressed herself against the wall again as a hissing Dagon unsteadily advanced on her.

"I…I will…make…you…PAY!" He leapt at her. Diving out of the way, the Time Lady pulled out the bung in the last vial, pushing the glass container top first into his mouth, dodging his thrashing arms. He froze, not being able to do anything but swallow. Gripping his stomach, he doubled over, screaming in agony. The Professor ran over to her friend, helping the teenager to his feet. The spores looked liked pale pink smoke as they streamed from him. Goku stirred. The Professor ran towards the humans to help them. But she didn't make it. A roar stopped her in her tracks, causing her to turn just as a blast shot towards her, sending her spiralling to the ground. It burned through her clothing and scorched the skin of her side.

"PROFESSOR!!" Gohan powered up in his rage and fear, readying the most powerful Kamehameha he could, firing it at the dying creature. With a scream, the energy engulfed him, the dead and the dying spores that made up his body disintegrating into nothingness. Pale pink powder floated on the desert wind before disappearing for the last time.

As one, they ran to the downed Time Lady, Goku and Gohan helping the humans to their feet.

"Professor! Professor, are you ok?" Gohan asked; once again back to his normal state. He knelt next to her. She gripped her side, shaking her head.

"No, my boy, I'm afraid not." Hissing, she removed her hand. To their horror, they noticed a steadily spreading purple rash.

"Oh no! Professor!?" She smiled weakly.

"I should've listened to you, huh Gohan?" she laughed, trying to hold back the fact that she was in unbelievable amounts of pain.

"The antidote! Professor, the antidote…"

"…Is of no use, Trunks. It's gone. I fed the last of it to Dagon. And good thing I did."

"How is it a good thing!? You're dying, Professor!!" Gohan cried, tears falling down his face.

"I know I am." They exchanged helpless looks. What could they do? Even Vegeta looked on, hands clenched and shaking. This strange woman had saved his son's life even though he had threatened her own. She had spoken to him even though he could have killed her in an instant. And he had repaid her by using what little of his energy he'd had to break that stupid vial. Only, now it seemed that Dagon was actually having the last laugh! Tien reached down to lift her.

"No! Don't touch me! If you do, you'll become infected as well!"

"W-What are we gonna do, Prof?" Krillin stammered. She sighed, pushing herself up on quivering arms.

"There's nothing…you can do. What happens happens. Right, Gohan?"

"But…" he swallowed, fresh tears falling freely and unchecked. She smiled softly.

"What about a senzu bean?" She shook her head.

"No, they would only make it worse. Remember, the spores are a parasite, they live on another. Besides, I hate them." she laughed weakly.

"But, there's got to be something we can do!?"

"No, Gohan, there's nothing you can do." She hissed, staggering to feet. She gasped as a searing hot pain shot through her side. She spoke through clenched teeth. "But…there is something** I** can do. And I'm starting to do so right now."

"I wouldn't class dying as helping yourself, Professor." The Time Lady laughed.

"That all depends on how you view it, Piccolo."

"You're not giving up, are you?"

"No, Tien, I'm not. What I'm about to do sort of constitutes dying, but I'm not ready to give up just yet. It just means that you're not going to see this Professor ever again." She gasped, stumbling slightly. The rash was spreading rapidly.

"Professor?"

"Gohan, you remember what I said, right? I told you that I have a couple of tricks of my own. Remember?" He nodded. "Well, this is one of them." as they watched her features seemed to glow faintly, the skin seeming to begin cracking.

"Professor!"

"Gohan, guys, you were all brilliant. Thank you for everything. I'm just sorry that you had to see this happen. Vegeta?" The Prince glanced at her. "Thank you for saving my life. Gohan? You were by far the best companion I've had in a long time. Even if it was short term. Goodbye, my boy."

"Professor?" A faint light shone through the cracks in her appearance, growing in intensity. She seemed to be shedding her skin, each piece disappearing into sparkling dust. Soon, she was encased in white-gold light, making them shield their eyes. She seemed to change within, almost as if it were a cocoon. Finally, the light shot from her hands and face in something similar to a small explosion, the energy blasting them with loose sand and dust. When it was finally over and the dust had settled, the Professor was gone.

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Longest chapter I've written so far! Yay to me!

Ok, couple of things to say before anyone else picks up on it. I'm not sure if I spelt Vegeta's attack right, so please don't flame me if I didn't. Just let me know. Plus, I'm aware that he wouldn't save a stranger's life, especially after she embarrassed him earlier in the story, but this is where he is changing ever so slightly. Besides, it fits in with the story nicely. She did save his son's life, as well as his own. Please let me know what you think. The final chapter won't be long. Just got to change it a little. Flames will not be tolerated. Constructive criticism, as always, is accepted.


	7. Chapter 7 and epilogue

Hey guys! This has been fun to write! It's great that so many of you are reading it! I'm well chuffed!

Right, this is the last chapter of this here story. I hope everyone has enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it!

Disclaimer: Same as usual. Only the Professor belongs to me. If you'd like to borrow her for a story, feel free. Just let me know what you're planning and I'll make sure she behaves. If I owned DBZ, I'd be the happiest bunny this side of Betelgeuse! And if I owned anything at all to do with Doctor Who, I'd be the happiest gal this side of the Medusa Cascade! Alas, I do not. Boo!

...............................Change in place

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''Change in time

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Gohan backed up as the Professor seemed to explode.

"What's going on? What's she doing?" Yamcha cried, throwing his arms over his face as loose sand and dust seemed to be swept up by some unseen force.

"I don't know! But I think we're about to find out!" Goku was right. Gohan gasped as the dust cleared.

"W-where's the Professor?" They looked to the spot where the Time Lady had been standing, only to find that she was no longer there. In her place stood a slightly taller woman, her long brown hair cascading over her lightly tanned features, shining with a wine red glow as the sun caught it. Slowly lifting her head, she opened her golden brown eyes, looking to them all and smiling softly.

"I'm right here, Gohan." She smiled again at his shocked expression. Her voice was deep yet feminine, both soft and wise. Her eyes shone with a wisdom that only one of her age could have. Her hyperactive nature seemed to have been replaced with a much calmer, mature one. Gohan shook his head.

"No. No, you're not the Professor. Where is she? Who are you? What have you done with her?" He clenched his fists, shaking with barely controlled grief and anger. Goku rested a comforting hand on his son's shoulder, though his eyes were strangely stern as he looked her over.

"You can't be her. You feel different, you look different. You're not the Professor!" She sighed, kneeling in front of the teenager.

"If I am not the Professor, then how do I know this? The very first time I met you and your family, you had been shocked by the defence system on my ship. You had been stunned by her." Gohan still shook his head, disbelieving. "If I am not the Professor, then how do I know that Vegeta saved my life only a moment ago, repaying me for saving his son's life? Gohan, my boy, this is me. A new me, I admit, but it is still me." She reached out towards him, urging the teenager to take her hand. Hesitantly, he complied. The gloves stopped him from feeling her skin, but the moment he touched her, he felt her strangely calming yet energising aura. His charcoal eyes met her golden ones, the bond they had developed flaring into life. It was her! She was a different person, but it was her!

"Professor?" He reached out, gently stroking her cheek. She smiled.

"Yes, my boy." With a cry of joy he flung himself into her arms, the floodgates opening as he cried into her shoulder. She gathered him up, holding him to her as she allowed her own tears to fall.

"I thought I'd lost you!"

"And I, you." The others looked at each other, realisation dawning on them.

"It really is you, isn't Prof." Krillin asked, resting a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Yes, my friend. It is me."

"But, what happened?" Gohan pulled out of her embrace, his face streaked with tears. Reaching up, she tenderly brushed them away.

"You want to know?" He nodded. They all did. She smiled. "Well, to cut a long story short, Time Lords have a little trick, a way of cheating death. We heal. Whether it be a fatal injury, infection, poisoning, you name it, so long as we're still alive, we heal. We regenerate." Gohan looked to Piccolo.

"Like Piccolo?" The Professor shook her head.

"No. Piccolo, and any other Namekian for that matter, can regenerate the affected area, so long as his head is still intact. We don't. When we regenerate, it is our whole body. Every cell, every organ, everything in a Time Lord's body changes. That was the trick I was talking about, Gohan. This was it." Gohan looked to her, curiosity etched into his features.

"Could you change back?" She shook her head, sighing sadly.

"No. We have no control over how it turns out. Next time, I could end up with, I don't know, eight arms and three heads!" She laughed; her laugh deep and soft, like her voice. Gohan laughed along with her. She looked to each and every one of them in turn.

"Well, don't look so surprised. You haven't known me very long, but did you really expect me to only do things by halves?" She smiled. "I didn't think so." Gohan looked past her to the spot where Dagon had stood. The Time Lady walked over, touching the sand lightly.

"Well, he's definitely gone. But I've lost my coat. I loved that coat." Picking it up with the tips of her gloved fingers, she inspected it as she walked back to the still stunned fighters. The sleeve had fully disintegrated, and the spores had made a start on the shoulder and the seams next to the infected sleeve. "Fancy that. Yet another thing I never expected."

"What Professor?" She looked at the teenager.

"Apparently, the spores died the moment Dagon did. Once they'd grouped into him, it seems that he became the controlling force behind them. Take away that, and they can't function. How very peculiar."

"And you didn't think it would happen, is that what you're saying?"

"That's precisely it, Trunks. Precisely it." carefully, she reached into the pockets, turning them out. A multitude of different items fell to the ground. She picked up what she deemed to be important, leaving everything else behind.

"Professor, you really are full of surprises."

"Why thank you, Goku. Thank you very much indeed." She winked good-naturedly. "Well? Are we going to stand around here all day or are we going to head back?" They nodded, each of them taking off. Goku waited for his son.

"Are you coming Gohan?" he asked, knowing the answer immediately.

"Erm, if it's all the same, I'd like to head back with the Professor." Goku smiled and nodded.

"Alright, I'll see you both back at the house." With a wave, he flew after the others. Gohan turned to the Time Lady, who was watching after them.

"Well, Gohan my boy, I suppose we ourselves had best head back. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I would agree whole-heartedly, Professor." She smiled, taking his hand as they ran to the TARDIS together.

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The evening saw much merriment in the Son Household. After Dagon's defeat and another successful saving of the planet, the Professor had the idea of celebrating. Chi Chi and Bulma had been shocked at first to find a stranger entering with the teenager, but after much explaining, they came to accept that this was the new Professor. She had now changed her clothes, deciding that she would leave the casual behind for something more sophisticated: that being a white shirt covered with a black waistcoat and black trousers to go with it. But that was where it stopped. Her hair was tied back in a low pony tail and her feet were adorned with cream trainers. She had laughed at the women's reaction to her attire.

"Why spoil it with those things? Why not high heels? They'll look so much better."

"Because, Bulma, since when do you run in high heels?" That was all the answer she got. They spoke of her change, her 'new and improved' look, as Yamcha put it.

"Oh, I wouldn't say new and improved, Yamcha. New, yes. Improved...well, we'll see." They laughed together, the Time Traveller joking about her own fears that day.

"When I saw you lot fall, I fair felt my hearts go. Not the nicest feeling in the world."

"What about the universe?"

"Oh, there are plenty more things in the universe that are far worse, Krillin. Trust me on that one. I'm old enough to know, after all." As they joked and celebrated, Gohan could see the Professor's mood becoming more distant. She smiled at them before excusing herself. Gohan followed.

"Professor? Is everything alright?" She sighed and turned to the teenager.

"Not really, Gohan. Not really." She seemed downcast, saddened by something. She leaned against the wall, not really caring about getting her new suit dirty.

"What's the matter?" He was concerned now. The Professor never looked downcast, not the one he knew anyway. At the moment, she was silent, lost in thought. "Professor?"

"You know how much I would love to stay, don't you?" He seemed confused.

"Well, I gather that you would want to stay for a while." She nodded. Nodding to herself, she straightened up and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, leading him back inside.

"Gohan, my boy, I need to speak with everyone. I'll tell you then, ok?" He nodded, though he was still concerned. The house was still noisy, even though it was late. She raised her hands, catching their attention.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make." The room feel silent. She sighed, waiting for some unseen cue. "First of all, I want to thank everyone. Each and every one of you. Over the past week, you have been absolutely brilliant. I couldn't have done what I have without you. Before you say anything, if it wasn't for all of you, it is very likely that I would not have been able to help save this beautiful planet. May it always be that way. Vegeta, I know that you and I have not gotten on very well, but I will put that down to a clash of perspectives, if you understand. Though, I must thank you personally. You saved my life, and for that I am grateful. And you, Gohan. Oh, where do I begin? Thank you for being there for me." She fell into silence again. There were smiles, but the atmosphere rang with confusion. Goku broke the silence.

"Erm, Professor? What's this all about?" She smiled sadly.

"Ah, yes, the answer that you are all wanting to know. Well, I believe that this time has come." She gulped. "I'm afraid that it is time to say goodbye." Shocked silence.

"What?! But...you can't go! Not yet!" She turned to the teenager.

"I'm afraid that I must. I can't stay here any longer. Oh how I want to, but I can't." Her voice was softer than normal as she fought the emotions. She was torn. She couldn't stay on one planet because there were others that need her help. She couldn't stay with them, because she risked upsetting their own futures.

"But...why?"

"Because, Gohan, if I stay here, I will cause problems that may be irreversible. There are other planets, other galaxies, other times that need my help. And I can't do anything if I stay here." The others seemed to be forgotten in the exchange. "I am sorry my boy."

"When are you going?" It was Piccolo who broke the silence this time.

"As soon as possible. Tonight. Now, as it happens." She turned to the boy, kneeling in front of him. "Gohan, no matter what, no matter where or when, I will be here for you." He threw himself into her arms as she held him tightly to her. "I will always be here for you."

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She had managed to pull herself away from the house and now they stood outside, in front of her ship. She pulled her deep purple dress coat on over her attire, pulling her hair out of the collar. Gohan couldn't leave her side. She turned to them all and smiled.

"Well, this is it."

"Please don't leave Professor? Why can't you just stay? We can always help you when a problem arises. I can help you." She sighed, nodding. An idea struck her, though she knew that it was probably crazy.

"I know you could. You could help me. You could be with me." She looked to his parents and friends and then back to him. "Gohan, come with me."

"What?"

"Come with me. Be my companion. Oh, Gohan, I can show you times and places you'd never dream of. I can show you the stars, planets, systems, nebulae. I can show you everything, my boy, everything! I can take you anywhere, any when, you name it and we'll go. Gohan, during this little escapade, I tell you no lies, you were the best companion I have ever had. Your inquisitiveness, your intelligence, your intuition, oh Gohan, you were terrific!" There was a fire in her golden eyes that didn't seem to extinguish. The teenager looked to his parents and friends and then back to her.

"I don't know."

"Gohan, remember, you have your studies to complete!" He turned to his mother and nodded.

"I know, but...with her, I wouldn't need to study. I could learn everything from her without books." He turned to the Professor. "But, I'd miss my family, my friends." His Saiyan side urged him to go, to seek out new adventures, new worlds, new fights. But his human side urged him to stay where he was safe, with his family, his friends, his studies. He was well and truly torn. The Professor smiled softly.

"Gohan, the decision is completely yours to make. Don't listen to your head. What do you really want to do?" He looked at her, hurt in his eyes.

"Professor, I want to go with you. Really, I do. It's just..." He glanced to everyone. "I'm needed here." She sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"If that is your wish, then it is granted." She smiled, hugging him. "You made a wise decision." Straightening she looked to them all.

"Well, I don't think I can do much more damage around here. But, before I go..." The Time Lady reached into a hidden pocket in her coat, pulling out a phone. "Just in case you change your mind, or you want to talk or you need my help. My number is already in there. I've already messed with it, so you can reach me any where, any time. Literally." She winked and handed it to him. "Keep in touch." She opened the door to her ship.

"Professor?"

"Yes Goku?"

"Don't be a stranger." She smiled and nodded. Giving the teenager a quick squeeze on the shoulder, she entered the ship. Gohan stepped back as the door closed. Oh, how he wanted to follow her! But she'd said herself that he'd made a wise decision. Should he follow? Should he stay? He stood next to his father and in that instant he knew he'd made the right decision. The engines fired up, rising and falling in equal measures of time. A wind whipped the area as the wall of reality itself was torn open.

"Goodbye Professor!" He wasn't sure if she'd heard, but he had a feeling that she had. The TARDIS faded around the edges until it finally disappeared from sight. All that was left was a square patch of flattened grass and a feeling of things returning to normal. Gohan looked at the phone in his hand and smiled.

"Come on, son. Let's go inside." He nodded, looking at the patch one last time, allowing a tear to trickle from his eye. Somehow, even as he entered the house, he knew that it wasn't the last time they'd see her. They would meet again.

Someday.

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Epilogue

The Professor carried on her voyage across the stars. Was it coincidence or fate when she came back to Earth in a different time and found another TARDIS? She couldn't be sure. But she did know that her prayers had finally been answered, she was not the last of her kind. She had found one of her family, her son's godfather, the man she was so close to she practically called him 'brother'. Gohan had reminded her so much of her son, and she missed him terribly. But now that she had found the Doctor, she knew that anything was possible. And she knew, as Gohan knew, that they would find each other again.

Someday.

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Finished! Wow, I enjoyed writing this story! I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did! I'm kinda sad that it's over now, but glad all the same.

Thanks a lot to everyone who has read this story. Sorry about the warning earlier on, I've only just figured out how to check how many people have read the story. (Laughs)

Thank you everyone! I hope you liked the ending. It was a bit sad, but it was happier than the other one I had in mind. :-) Con crit. is welcome, as usual. Flames will be ignored. Gohan, no. Only if they do, though I don't really think turning Super Saiyan will stop them. Or Super Saiyan 2!

Peace!


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